Forbidden Attachment
by avatar-ahsoka
Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi has been suffering since his time as Rako Hardeen. Feelings plague his mind regarding the bounty hunter Cad Bane. When the council sends Kenobi to apprehend the Duros slime, a whole new adventure unfolds.
1. Chapter 1: Clouded

"Master Kenobi," Plo Koon noticed Obi-Wan's lack of attention to his Council briefing. "Are you feeling alright?"

He broke himself out of his trance, "Oh, yes, of course Master Plo." This was a lie of course but he had to hide how he felt from his fellow council members, "So, Cad Bane is on Saleucami. I presume you want me to locate him?"

Obi-Wan already knew the answer to his question, but he so desperately prayed the council would make a different choice. Ever since the Rako Hardeen incident, he was haunted by what he felt for that Duros slime.

"Yes, Master Kenobi," Mace Windu interjected, "It is to be a covert operation. No clones, no other Jedi, just you. We cannot afford to let this terrorist roam free any longer."

A drawn out sigh escaped the conflicted Jedi's mouth

"Are you sure I will be able to take on Bane alone?" Desperation thinly veiled his attempt to reverse the council's decision, "Both Ahsoka and Anakin were able to get closer to capturing Bane than I ever have, even when I was Mister Hardeen."

Silence overtook the room as Master Windu looked at Obi-Wan with his look that no one could ever classify as anger or compassion.

"I have the utmost of faith in you Master Kenobi." An unusually sympathetic Mace reassured him, "All of us do."

Obi-Wan let his eyes circle the room; each master looked upon him with looks of trust and assurance. He inhaled deeply and straightened his posture.

"I will depart for Saleucami at once. I will not disappoint the council."

Master Yoda smiled towards the stoic Obi-Wan, "Bring Bane to justice you will. May the Force be with you."

With his hands clasped behind his back, Kenobi walked towards his Starfighter. He pondered whether or not he ought to speak with Anakin first, he didn't truly know what his apprentice could say to calm his nerves, perhaps Anakin could sense in him what the council did not. Maybe Anakin would know how he feels.

'What do I feel?'

There was no time for an internal monologue. He reached the bay and thanked the civilian who had prepped his ship and R4. As he prepared to set off for Saleucami, sweat soaked through his robes and his stomach turned. The Starfighter attached to a Hyperspace ring and in a moment, Obi-Wan was being whisked away at the speed of light towards Cad Bane.

'Cade Bane is a terrorist. A dark mark on the galaxy. He must face justice.'

Kenobi had to remind himself of his mission every so often during his travel in hyperspace. He had never been this distracted before. Clarity had never alluded the stoic and wise Jedi before. Obi-Wan felt lost, afraid, sickly, nervous. He felt like a youngling again, struggling to attract as master to teach him.

R4's beeping broke him out of his trance as Plo had done mere hours ago. Kenobi read the translator

"Ah, we've finally reached Saleucami. Thank you Arfour."

The droid piloted Obi-Wan down to a landing pad outside a sprawling city centered around an oasis. The Jedi stood only steps away from his ship for several minutes after arrival.

"Arfour, go and orbit the planet. If I need you, I'll engage my beacon."

The droid obeyed and returned to space as Obi-Wan began his trek into the city. He instinctively knew if Bane was here as the council surmised, he would be in a cantina.

'Oh, joy. This one looks especially seedy.'

The Jedi entered the run down bar with his robe tight around his body and his hood surrounding his head. He approached the barkeep carefully, using the Force to discern whether or not Bane was there.

"What will you be having tonight?" The Weequay asked him, apparently without concern a strange hooded man just entered his bar.

"I desire information," A smirk became visible through the shadow cast by his hood, "And a Poison Spice Tonic, shaken of course."

The barkeep smiled as well, "Good taste. And there's plenty of information to go around." He began to mix the beverage, "What would you like to know?"

Obi-Wan reached out for his drink and took a sip, recoiling a bit from the alcohol, "Cad Bane. Has he been here and if so, where can I find him now?"

"Bane? Of course he's been here plenty of times over the past few rotations. Kind of surprising though. I pegged him as a 'different night different port' type of guy. But, I guess he loved this place. I do make a mean Poison Spice Tonic. That's his drink of choice as well."

Kenobi smiled once again. The drink brought him the peace that alluded him during his journey to the wartorn system. But, the Rodian sitting two seats away from him got up and ran quickly out of the bar mere moments after the discussion about Bane.

"It appears I've found my lead." Obi-Wan handed the bartender a handful of credits, "Keep the change, my friend. You were quite the helper."

The Jedi ran out of the bar and reached out with the Force to find the Rodian. Once he got a reading on the shifty man, he pursued him with all due stealth. This went on for a fairly long time, but the game of cat and mouse came to an end when the Rodian entered a rundown munitions factory the Separatists had abandoned when the Republic reclaimed the planet. He started towards the building, but once again the uncertainty overcame him. Kenobi kept going, ignoring the nagging feeling of confliction gnawing at his mind.

Obi-Wan could still sense the Rodian man, but no other presences. Alongside the conflict in his mind, frustration grew. He journeyed up a flight of stairs and went into a large open room. He could see the Rodian cowering in the room's center

"Well, hello there. Do you wish to come speak with me politely? Or do you wish to fight?"

Silence.

"I assure you, fighting will not end well for you."

He continued to tread towards the man and he tried to sense what was going through the Rodian's mind, but all his senses were clouded.

"What do you know of the bounty hunter Cad Bane?"

Despite Kenobi's muddled senses, he could feel a shift in the Force. He began to slowly reach for his lightsaber. But, before he was able to ignite it, a figure fell from the ceiling and hit the Jedi over the head. As Obi-Wan drifted into unconsciousness, the figure stepped out of darkness.

"Oh, Kenobi. Your skills must be decreasing if I was able to get the jump on you," Bane joked as he knelt down, removing his beacon, "Look who's my prisoner now."


	2. Chapter 2: A New Face

"A Jedi? Bane, you never said anything about a Jedi. What if the Republic come searching for him? He knew you were here on Saleucami. They will come to retrieve him and what will we do then?"

Frustration laced the bounty hunter's voice, "We aren't staying here anymore. My team is coming to pick us up for our mission and this Jedi is going to help us."

'What is Bane droning on about now?'

Even while treading the line between the world of the living and unconsciousness, Kenobi could still be annoyed by the bounty hunter.

The Rodian man was obviously worried, "You intend on bring him with us? That is a horrible idea Bane!"

A small chuckle escaped the Duros' mouth, "If you say so Feevo. However, there has been a change of plans."

How did Obi-Wan know Bane was running his fingers across the wide brim of his hat?

"What do you mean?" Feevo's worry seemed to increase tenfold, if that was even possible.

A shift in the Force alerted the dormant Jedi that Cad's 'change of plans' were quite nefarious. His senses were proven right when the relative peace of the open room was shattered by blaster fire, then the sound of a body crashing to the ground. Obi-Wan had tried to jump into action to protect the innocent life, but he failed. Just another failure to add to his ever expanding resume.

"Finally, some silence," Kenobi's body was still limp but his hearing was still strong enough to hear footsteps draw closer, "Now to get you to a place more suited for such a regal Jedi."

Bane placed Kenobi in a crate that once transported blasters presumably. Feeling began to return to his body as he regained consciousness. Obi-Wan could have broken free, but something held him back.

"We're here, Kenobi." The bounty hunter turned the crate upside down to let his captive fall out. To further inhibit Obi-Wan's ability to leave, he fastened a shock collar to the Jedi's neck, allowing his rough and calloused blue hands to travel through the thick beard of his prisoner, eventually touching the soft skin of his human face.

The touch was very nearly intoxicating, or perhaps the residual effects of his drink still clouded his mind. But, the Jedi broke through the feelings and confronted his captor.

"What do you intend on doing with me?" He tried to sound intimidating but it came off as more of a groan, "Your Rodian friend was correct. The Republic will come looking."

"They'll come to Saleucami." Bane reclined in a seat situated in the corner of this strange room, "We won't be staying here for much longer."

Strength returned to Obi-Wan's arms and legs, allowing him to sit up. He allowed his eyes to roam the room. It appeared Bane had brought him to a private room in the back of the cantina. It reeked of alcohol but was oddly relaxing to the Jedi, whose days were mostly spent in the unnaturally sterile environment of the Temple or of Star Destroyers. Once his gaze reached the corner where the bounty hunter sat, the two locked eyes. The men surveyed one another for what felt like hours, but it was broken when Bane extended his hand to offer a cup to his still dazed prisoner.

"It's a Poison Spice Tonic. It should help you get your bearings back." Cad further outreached his hand to Obi-Wan, "C'mon Jedi, drink it. We need to have a talk and I would like it if you were awake through it."

Kenobi took Bane's offering and began to sip. He loathed the idea of using more alcohol to solve a problem caused by alcohol, but if it works.

The Duros began to speak, "A few rotations ago, a Hutt hired me to do a job for him. It turns out Bochi the Hutt who operates the cartel in the Anaot Sector wants to give the Separatists control of his hyperspace lanes."

The Jedi began to think back to his early training when he would commit star maps to memory.

"Anaot? Those lanes had been declared neutral by the Hutt Council because they give lucrative trade to neutral systems." Obi-Wan continued to think out loud, "If those lanes fell into Dooku's hands, he could force systems into his alliance by starving them out."

"Precisely." Bane assured the Jedi then brought the brim of his hat over his eyes.

A smirking Kenobi jabbed at the bounty hunter, "So you are performing a mercy mission? How very noble of you Bane."

"You could call it that. But, also I am tasked with bringing Bochi to Nal Hutta so the council can execute him then put a loyalist in charge of the Anaot sector." Cad allowed a smirk to grace his face as well, "And that, my friend is where you come in."

The two sat silently as Kenobi thought quietly, "What do you mean? I'm afraid I've drunk far too much to solve any riddles, so I would prefer you spelling it all out for me." An undignified belch escaped the Jedi's lips, causing his captor to laugh ever so slightly.

With his arms crossed firmly against his chest Bane elaborated, "Another bounty hunter named Achan Demir was hired for this mission. But, I killed him after he attacked me in a cantina on Tatooine."

"Lovely."

"However, the man had a similar height and build to you." Bane began to walk across the room "And after your stint as Rako Hardeen, I figured you would be more than happy to take on another new identity to serve your Republic." The Duros reached the other corner and opened another crate similar to the one Obi-Wan had been transported in. Then he summoned the Jedi over to it.

Kenobi walked towards Bane's side and looked into the container to see the remarkably well kept corpse of this Achan Demir. Next to the cadaver was a DNA syringe and a voice modulator.

"Oh no. Not this again."

The bounty hunter reached into the crate and grabbed the two devices, swatting at Demir's lifeless hand away without any respect for the dead. He engaged the voice modulator to show Obi-Wan how he had already loaded all of Demir's speech patterns onto it.

"So, which would you like to do first? I suggest the modulator." Bane was partially joking.

Kenobi scowled at his captor, "Remind me why I ought to help you?"

Cad had already anticipated resistance from the Jedi, "I already told you, Bochi being out of the way helps the Republic just as much as it helps the Hutts." Bane then reached for the remote tucked away in his back pocket, "And I have this. Make me angry and this electrocutes you at the highest possible voltage. Persuaded?"

The sweating that had plagued Obi-Wan in his Starfighter on his voyage to Saleucami suddenly returned. He was unable to speak, so he nodded to Bane to convey his agreement.

"This won't hurt at all."

Bane sat Kenobi down in a chair and then tenderly placed the modulator on the Jedi's inner thigh. He stared as it crawled up Obi-Wan's torso then his neck, discomfort plastered all over his face.

Obi-Wan shut his eyes and opened his mouth, finally taking control of the device and placing it in his mouth of his own volition. Once again, the sensation was odd but not wholly uncomfortable. However, he knew what was to come next would be the painful part.

As a sign of goodwill, Cad disengaged the collar around his captive's neck. He gently removed and nonchalantly threw it into the crate with the cadaver.

Bane picked up the syringe that would alter Kenobi's face and got on his knees beside the chair, "Usually, medical droid are meant to do this. But, I'm sure I'll do fine."

Obi-Wan was not appreciative of the bounty hunter's jesting.

Bane gazed at the Jedi's neck and lightly pushed hair out of the way, exposing the area where the syringe was meant to be inserted.

"Just do it, Bane."

Cad obeyed him, ending the teasing and puncturing his skin with the syringe. Immediately the nanoorganisms began to react, altering the Jedi's face.

Kenobi started to scream in Demir's voice, quickly followed by intense contortions. Bane had never seen such an extreme reaction before. He reached out with both hands to grasp the Jedi's arms, hoping to quell his fears. It appeared to work. The two men met each other's gazes and then silence fell over the room while the transformation process finished.

"How do you feel, Mister Demir?" Bane asked as he removed his hands from his prisoner's arms.

Out of breath, Obi-Wan responded between rapid inhalations, "Oddly fine. Thank goodness I don't have to shave this time. But, Achan's hair was black, do you have a plan for that?"

"C'mon Kenobi, it's like you don't even know me." Bane grabbed dye from a table across from Demir's lifeless body then walked back to where Obi-Wan sat, the moonlight poking through the window behind him giving the bounty hunter a glow, "We just need to rub this dye in and you'll be totally transformed."

The two began the process of coloring the Jedi's auburn hair, instead making it jet black. Bane massaged Kenobi's scalp, reigniting the problems that dogged the Jedi back on Coruscant. The sweat on his brow, the dryness in his mouth, the aching in his abdomen. After a good half an hour, the dye had set and Obi-Wan Kenobi had fully become Achan Demir.

"Get some rest Jedi. First thing in the morning the rest of my team will be here with a transport and we set off for the Anaot sector."

Bane went back to his seat in the corner and quickly drifted off, an obvious sign of trust considering he had left Kenobi's lightsaber on the table next to Demir's casket.

Sleep alluded Obi-Wan, or Achan rather. His mind was preoccupied with what had just happened. In less than one rotation he had reconnected with Bane, had gotten a new face, had seen two dead bodies, and now was meant to lay in the same room with the man who had haunted his mind for months.

'A Jedi shall not know anger. Nor hate. Nor love'

He had a tendency to recite the various proverbs the Jedi had crafted over the years to calm him. Perhaps they would bring him peace.

'Emotion, yet peace.

Ignorance, yet knowledge.

Passion, yet serenity.

Chaos, yet harmony.

Death, yet the Force.'

For hours, the code coursed through his mind. Eventually, sleep embraced him. But, even in slumber the presence of Bane haunted him.


	3. Chapter 3: Demir Awakened

The newly christened Achan Demir awoke in the small room to the sickening smell of decomposition.

"C'mon, it's time to head out," Bane had already been up for some time, it appears, as the mess that plagued the room last night had been replaced by order, "My team is waiting at a port outside town. It's gonna take all rotation to get there."

The human would have spoken but the sound of a stranger's voice instead of his own was still a jarring experience. He placed his lightsaber, the last vestige of Obi-Wan Kenobi, in a capsule usually meant for thermal detonators, and fastened it to his belt.

The two headed out of the rented room. Demir felt a great deal of guilt for leaving the cadaver there with no identification. He was still a Jedi after all and that was hardly the respect a Jedi should display towards the dead.

"Don't worry about him, Demir," Bane could tell how distraught his partner was, "Someone will find him. The people around here are good, they'll give him a burial."

"I'll certainly take solace in that, Bane." He tried hard to project anger in his voice, but the ability to be angry seemed to elude him right now.

Without any more words between them, the two walked the streets of the small Saleucami town. All around them were kind people who would wave and greet them despite their scarred exteriors, indicative of rough pasts.

The Duros broke the silence, "These are real kind folks. They don't care where you came from or where you're going. Just that you're happy while you're here," he allowed a sigh to escape his rough lips, "Don't get used to it. There isn't much kindness where we're going."

Achan simply nodded in response, allowing the quiet to return. He wanted to speak to Bane, about what he was not so sure of, but he could not bring himself to do it. Perhaps Kenobi was still in control of his mind. Kenobi was struck by Bane and would never be able to hold regular conversation with the bounty hunter. But, with the persona of Achan Demir, there was a blank slate between the two of them.

"So, who is this team of yours, Bane?" he finally allowed himself to speak, against the judgment of Obi-Wan.

Cad seemed surprised by his counterpart's sudden urge to speak, "Two other bounty hunters who I'm familiar with. Sugi, a Zabrak woman with a damn good ship. And a young man named Boba. I was…friends with his deceased father, Jango, and he's coming on this job as a favor to me."

The slightest of pauses when Bane called Jango Fett a friend piqued the interest of Demir, "I met Sugi on Felucia once. I believe her ship is called the Halo? It is quite the vessel."

"Kenobi met Sugi on Felucia. You have never met her before. Boba neither. So, keep your stories straight."

A grunt from the human assured Bane he would follow the directive.

Cad Bane and Achan Demir continued their walk through the Saleucami village until the kind faces and homely environment morphed into a desolate plain with the only life to greet them being the endless acres of golden grass, adorned with rusted fuel lines that assuredly led to this port Bane alluded to. What remained of Kenobi in Demir's mind tried to alert Achan that this whole enterprise was a horrible idea, a manifestation of how undisciplined he had become ever since that business with Hardeen. But, the mind of a bounty hunter could not be encumbered with such aversion to risk. He had to remind himself that all of this was for the Republic, for the war effort. Preserving those hyperspace lanes would aid neutral systems. Of course, he knew, the Chancellor would attempt to use the Jedi's efforts to protect neutral worlds as an excuse to further pressure them into joining the Republic. Kenobi loathed the war and the politics of it, lucky for Mister Demir, Kenobi wasn't here. All there was Achan and Bane.

"So, tell me," Demir ran his tanned and calloused hand through his newly dyed jet black hair, "What history do I have with you?"

The other man scoffed as his arms crossed in front of his chest, "We've done one job together before this one. It was a long time ago. We stole some holodisks from the Chairman of Pantora for big wig in the Expansion Region."

The Force still spoke to Demir and it told him that Bane was hiding something, "Was it just us on this mission? And were we successful?" he allowed Kenobi's joviality to grace Demir's gravelly voice.

"No. Jango was with us," Achan could sense the slightest bit of sorrow as he spoke, "Good thing too. Without him and that ship of his, we would've died. And we were very successful. Too bad he can't be with us this time."

Just when he thought he had cast off the last of Obi-Wan's shackles, the Jedi took control and spoke through Demir, "The Force works in mysterious ways that seem unfair to us mortals. But, it also brings order to chaos. Jango's demise was meant to be, Bane, as all death is."

Anger poured forth from the normally unemotional Bane, "Don't try to tell me about loss. You're a Jedi. What do you even know about how it feels to lose someone you cared for?"

Achan recoiled from the sudden outburst. He tried to soften his face, attempting to conceal his own fury. He inhaled deeply to regain his focus then responded, "I do not know what pain I have felt. However, I can assure you that Obi-Wan, wherever that damned fool is, has indeed endured a great deal of loss in his life," Demir continued as the two kept walking despite their boiling rage, "I heard Kenobi saw his own mentor be eviscerated before him. I heard that he has seen dozens of his own men be shot down by lifeless droids. I heard he saw the woman he was willing to end his career for be murdered before his very eyes."

Silence overtook them, the only sound being the crisp wind that rustled the long grasses surrounding them.

"But good thing Kenobi isn't here, right?"

"Right."

To be trapped in another's flesh was a jarring experience the first time. The second time however, was an intoxicating affair. Perhaps the Jedi savored this newfound freedom he felt after so many years trapped in Republic Destroyers, council chambers, mundane Temple sparring rooms. All his life he had been trapped, cursed to live a cage and to only experience the magnificence and grandeur of the wide expanse of the galaxy through a small viewport.

Achan Demir was an escape.

However, it was not all he had hoped it to be. He desired a closeness to Bane. One that a Jedi would never be able to achieve. But now all he could sense was a newfound antagonism between them and he loathed it with all his being. It was Kenobi's fault that this happened in the first place. Not only aggravating Bane, but being in this mess at all. Kenobi could have argued more fervently against the council or followed their orders to the letter or he could have never paid any mind to Bane.

Kenobi only brought hardship, so Kenobi would be banished to the furthest reaches of the void. All that remained was the bounty hunter, Achan Demir.

As the sky turned chromatic with the coming twilight, a strange peace befell the two men. Even in a galaxy bedeviled by war, the other's presence was soothing. Demir knew he was soon to embark on a journey of exceptional risk. Bane knew travelling with the Jedi who fooled him into falling in love with a lie and the son of another lost beloved would wear on him. But still the cool, cradling breeze assuaged any fear that existed in their minds. The tension between Cad and Achan was supplanted by a curiosity and mutual desire. Heat of an overbearing sun was replaced by the serene chill of a gracious moon.

The two reached the small weigh station after half an hour of silence, but a more amicable and comfortable silence. Bane turned to Demir and pointed towards a fairly large assault ship.

"Ah, I'd remember that ship anywhere," Achan immediately realized his mistake then met the glare of his Duros partner, "I mean. What a nice ship. Hopefully it has a lot of alcohol and other things us bounty hunters enjoy."

Such bad jokes were usually the realm of Obi-Wan, but nonetheless, Achan tried his hand at them. Cad tried to stifle his smirk to no avail. This was the first time Demir has seen his accomplice smile for a lighthearted reason. It was a nice sight, one he hoped would get to see again.

"C'mon Demir," he emphasized the name, "We have a flight to catch."


	4. Chapter 4: Departure

Artificial light made the spaceport a luminous oasis in the hauntingly empty amber field. Achan could see this station was pretty standard fair. Several landing pads outfitted with refill apparatuses, a mediocre diner that overcharged for barely edible food, and the employees that were usually refugees from the war. Bane led him into the diner which was bustling with activity, in stark comparison to the quiet of the path the two men walked to get there. Sitting in the corner were two figures engaged in a heated discussion. A diminutive boy who resembled a clone and a Zabrak woman, a strange bun sitting atop her horned head. Demir recognized the woman immediately but kept a cool exterior as his partner had instructed him to.

Cad ignored the woman tending to the bar when she asked him if he wanted something to eat. She rolled her eyes as if she came across these types of character all the time. When Achan smiled kindly she seemed to be taken aback. Kindness was a rarity these days.

"Bane. Took you long enough to get here didn't it?"

The strange Iridonian accent drew Demir's attention.

The Duros extended his blue, calloused hand to meet Sugi's, "Not my fault. This one got drunk last night and slowed us down a lot."

The child set his bitter glare on Achan. Is this Boba Fett? He remembered fighting him in the Republic prison during the Hardeen affair.

"That doesn't matter now," Boba broke up the discussion between Sugi and Cad, "We need to plan this mission."

Achan set himself on the opposite side of the booth, facing the young Fett. Cad sat next to him. Sugi went to the bar to order a round of drinks.

"We saw the Halo out there," Bane opened the dialogue, "Is it ready to go?"

The son of Jango only nodded, obviously not yet comfortable with Demir. Sugi returned with three drinks, excluding Boba.

"My ship is prepped, Bane. But if we're going to infiltrate Cloud City where Bochi is, we'll have to ditch the Halo and get a new ship."

All three men had looks of confusion.

"I have," a smirk came to Sugi's face, "a history with this particular Hutt. If they see my ship anywhere near Bespin, he'll have it shot down."

Boba was the first to chime in with a solution, "What about the Slave I. It's docked with a friend of mine on Utapau."

"That sector is too far from Anaot," Demir leaned forward to shoot down Fett's idea, "We can steal something on Bavva. I'm familiar with the Kanti Province. There's hardly any law there so if we can find a good ship I bet we could take it no problem."

Bane and Sugi sat pensively as Boba scowled at Achan. The Zabrak looked out the viewport to look at the idle Halo.

"I know that region too, Mister Demir. Good thinking."

The four bounty hunters sat in the diner and ate their last meal before the mission together. Cad and Sugi engaged in familiar conversation as Demir and the young Fett sat in total silence. Both of them, Achan could sense, felt like outcasts amongst this motley crew. But, while the older man's loneliness was derived from how Bane seemed to ignore his prescence now, Boba's seemed to be deeper. Jango died about three years ago and since then this child had been circulating through the Republic penal system. He worked with Aurra Sing to kill Master Windu. What could ever drive a child into doing crime on a galactic scale? Achan would be lying if he said there was no conflict in his heart about bringing the child on such a dangerous mission, but Cad seemed to have the utmost of faith in his abilities and Demir trusted the Duros with all his heart.

Beyond the synthetic light of the spaceport, Saleucami was blanketed in shadowy night. Sugi said halfway through dinner they would have to depart at midnight in order to arrive on Bavva around sundown when all the drunkards in Kanti had already passed out. When the Zabrak woman exited the diner to ensure it had been fully refueled, one of Saleucami's drunkards slipped in. It was a human, with pale skin, and red tattoos all over. A medium sized blaster sat at his hip.

"Alcohol and blasters. What a wonderful mix." Achan couldn't help but joke.

The same woman who had greeted Bane and Demir greeted this new troublemaker while subtly moving all the valuables and breakables under the counter. When the drunkard grew noticeably angry, all three of the males stood up from the seat. Bane and Fett reached for their own blasters and Demir levelled his hand to instruct the couple sitting in the adjacent booth to stay seated.

"Are we gonna have a problem here, gentlemen?" the agitator asked.

The Duros and the clone child responded only with a scowl. Achan stepped in with a level head.

"Now now. No need to be uncivilized about this," even as he tried to mediate peace he also stood behind Bane in case he failed, "Why don't we all just calm ourselves and peacefully go our separate ways?"

For what felt like several minutes the four men stood in front of the counter just grimacing at each other. Achan wondered if he ought to call upon Kenobi's force powers to rip the blaster from this nuisance's hands. Before he had time to make a decision, the silence was broken and a brilliant red light burst forth. Boba had made the first strike, killing the drunkard before he got off the first shot. While Demir was taken aback by such a decisive move from Boba, Bane thought little of it and started out the door after throwing a few credits towards the counter as reparation.

Without another word between them, the three men boarded Halo.

"I heard quite a bit of commotion," Sugi said with a shockingly calm tone, "Good thing I left when I did, huh?"

Boba only grunted in response as he took the co-pilot's seat. As the ship rose from the platform, Achan finally got to be somewhat alone with Cad again. In the very back of the ship there were two seats situated side by side. The doors shut on both sides and they could feel the rumble of the jets rotating for space flight. A red light filled the cargo hold as Sugi piloted them through Saleucami's atmosphere. It was not a comfortable experience for the human as Halo shook violently as it ascended higher in the sky. Achan lowered his hands on the armrests and gripped them hard. Bane could see his knuckles straining so he lowered his own blue hand to meet Demir's tan one. The Duros delicately grabbed the other man's wrist, raising the hand from the support and instead interlocking their fingers. Achan's deep brown eyes rose to meet Bane, whose gaze had been set on the human all along. While the ship still shook violently, Achan tried to close the gap between them. At first, the other man pulled back from Demir, but then he gave into his instinct and met Achan's soft lips with his own. The kiss was deep and meaningful, but very short. Bane pulled away first muttering something inaudible, drowned out in the raucous sound of the ship.

When Cad let go of Achan's hand, he lowered the brim of his hat over his eyes and cross his arms before his chest. The other man assumed Bane had drifted off into sleep so he followed suit once the rumbling ceased. But, as he dozed off, he felt the calloused hand of Bane once again intertwine with his. Together, they fell asleep in the crimson light of Halo.


End file.
